Monday, September 12, 2016

#NatlPrep: Because Sometimes It Is Darkest After The Storm

This month, as part of NPM16, I’ll be rerunning some edited and updated older preparedness essays, along with some new ones.

#11,731

Short term power outages affect most of us each year, usually lasting
anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours. Longer outages,
while less common, are far from rare.

During the
summer of 2012, a powerful Derecho swept across the Mid-Atlantic states (see Picking Up The Pieces), killing 15 and leaving nearly 4 million people without power, some for more than 2 weeks.

As we discussed last week in the wake of Hurricane Hermine (seeNatlPrep Day 3: After The Storm Safety), sometimes the worst part of a disaster occurs in the days and weeks following the initial event.

In the case of the 2012 Derecho, while 15 people died during the storm, at least 32 died of heat-related illnesses in the two weeks that followed. This from a 2013 MMWR:

Weekly

June 7, 2013 / 62(22);433-436On
June 29, 2012, a rapidly moving line of intense thunderstorms with high
winds swept across the midwestern and eastern United States, causing
widespread damage and power outages.

Afterward, the area experienced
extreme heat, with maximum temperatures exceeding 100°F (37.8°C) (1).
This report describes 32 heat-related deaths in Maryland, Ohio,
Virginia, and West Virginia that occurred during the 2 weeks following
the storms and power outages.

(SNIP)

Most decedents (75%) were unmarried or living alone. Common underlying or
contributing conditions included cardiovascular disease (14) and
chronic respiratory disease (four). In at least seven (22%) of the
deaths, loss of power from the storms was known to be a contributing
factor. Overall, 22 (69%) decedents died at home, with lack of air
conditioning reported in 20 (91%) of these deaths.

Add in our aging infrastructure, and the potential of cyber (or physical) attacks on the system, and the odds of seeing more major power outages only increases.

Without
electrical power, water and gasoline doesn’t pump, elevators and air
conditioners don’t run, ATM machines and banks close, grocery stores
can’t take debit or credit cards, and everything from cooking, to
flushing toilets, becomes a major challenge.

Particularly in urban
settings.

If
a disaster struck your region today, and the power went out, stores
closed their doors, and water stopped flowing from your kitchen tap for
the next 7 days . . . do you have:

A battery operated NWSEmergency Radio to find out what was going on, and to get vital instructions from emergency officials?

A decent first-aid kit, so that you can treat injuries?

Enough non-perishable food and water on hand to feed and hydrate your family (including pets) for the duration?

A way to provide light (and in cold climates, heat) for your family without electricity? And a way to cook? And to do this safely?

A small supply of cash to use in case credit/debit machines are not working?

An emergency plan, including meeting places, emergency out-of-state contact numbers, a disaster buddy, and in case you must evacuate, a bug-out bag?

Spare supply of essential prescription medicines that you or your family may need?

If your answer is `no’, you have some work to do. A good place to get started is by visiting Ready.gov.

Unfortunately, a lot of people make the wrong choices when they do
prepare. They buy candles instead of battery operated lights, they use
generators inside their house or garage, or resort to dangerous methods
to cook or to heat their homes.

As a
result, when the power goes out, house fires and carbon monoxide
poisonings go up. Each year hundreds of Americans are killed, and
thousands affected, by CO poisoning (see In Carbon Monoxide: A Stealthy Killer).

While preparedness may seem
like a lot of work, it really isn’t. You don’t need an underground
bunker, an armory, or 2 years worth of dehydrated food. But you do need the basics to carry on for a week or two, and a workable family (or business) emergency/disaster plan.